7 ms·

I'm really excited to see Google return to this price point. I was distraught when they discontinued the Nexus line.

akhilcacharya 7y ago
Which is funny, because the Nexus 5 had a more pixel dense screen and supported wireless charging at a lower price point.
nkozyra 7y ago
Motorola continues to carry this torch with it's G-series, near-stock, sub-$300 phones.
- techntoke 7y ago
  True, but my G5 Plus lags a lot at this point. It has always been noticeably slower than other higher-end phones. I am really tempted to get the new Pixel 3a.
  - sct202 7y ago
    I'm replacing my G4 with a 3a. The new G7 is $300 so the extra $100 for a better camera and slightly faster seems pretty worth it.
    - novaRom 7y ago
      I would wait a little bit for more reviews, because it seems 3a has poor front speaker. Most of the phones have different problems with front speakers however (poor stereo balance). But I desperately need one with good stereo.
  - creatornator 7y ago
    I've had the same issue with my G5 plus... Apps, multitasking, camera, keyboard etc. are all significantly laggier than they used to be
- TwoNineA 7y ago
  > Motorola continues to carry this torch with it's G-series, near-stock, sub-$300 phones. They also come with almost non existent Android upgrades.
  - Twirrim 7y ago
    Really? My wife has been getting very regular security upgrades on hers, and I'd been pleasantly surprised. (I'm almost always the one to trigger off any upgrade on her phone when I notice she's got one queued up waiting to install)
    - hobofan 7y ago
      Meh. The latest available security patch for the Android 8.0.0 on my Moto Z Play which I purchased 2 years ago is the one of August 2018. Yes, I didn't purchase the phone directly at release date, but just a bit more than 1 year of security patches isn't great. It hurts even more because the hardware is incredibly sturdy and with the battery pack mod, charging woes have been a thing of the past. EDIT: Wow, apparently they are still advertising and selling this model for which they haven't released a security update in almost a year!
- quasse 7y ago
  My G4 Plus has been a tank. It survived a motorcycle trip through the Yukon mounted to the bars of my bike without any more protection from the elements than my windscreen. I unlocked the bootloader but then never installed a ROM because the stock one is close enough to vanilla Android to keep me happy.
  - chocolatebunny 7y ago
    The audio on my G4 plus died last year. It sounded like a common problem with no clear resolution. Plus they haven't updated it to Android 8.0.
  - auxym 7y ago
    GPS died on my G4 play after a year. Loved the phone otherwise.
- e40 7y ago
  The Moto x4 (no longer available, but it was until recently) is really nice. I hope there's an x5, in the future.
  - Dylan16807 7y ago
    As long as you don't want to root it. Nothing but trouble there.
    - e40 7y ago
      I want to use Google Pay, so rooting isn't an option for me. And, I don't want to spend all the time that a rooted device requires (when updates are available).
      - Dylan16807 7y ago
        You can pretty well solve both of those with systemless root... if it works. It just crashed horribly for me.
- robocat 7y ago
  I would also consider Nokia (HMD global). > near-stock I have now got a Nokia 7+ which has "Android One" (very close to AOSP) and it has been a great piece of hardware which gets updates. I think HMD Global dealt brilliantly with the security issue that affected some phones. I agree about Moto though, in the past I have bought four Moto phones (G1, G3, G3, G4 - two were presents) and I had zero hardware faults (although they all stopped getting updates far earlier than I like). A G3 and G4 are still in daily use. One G3 broke a screen (teenager), and I can't remember who I gave the G1 to when I upgraded. Multiple previous experiences with Nexus line have left me disappointed, and so far the Pixel's have been too expensive for me to want to learn the same mistakes again. Hopefully the 3a will be better!
  - WhatIsDukkha 7y ago
    Nokias are bootlocked(nonstarter for me) and I'm not clear how reliable they are going to be on updates either.
    - tssva 7y ago
      The Nokia phones are part of the Android One program which means the are guaranteed software updates for two years and monthly security updates for three years which is the same as the Pixel phones.
    - robocat 7y ago
      Now older Motorola phones (e.g. G3) can no longer be unlocked: https://support.motorola.com/us/en/solution/MS87215 https://support.motorola.com/us/en/solution/MS87215 I also used to use your rule: if it was bootlocked then I wouldn't buy it. However that rule has never helped me use CyanogenMod/LineageOS etc because: Galaxy Nexus: Screen burn in (OLED blue) and obsoleted OMAP processor so didn't update, then gave to friend's kid. Nexus 10: Kept at factory 5.1.1 for testing at work. Then tried updating this year but flash partition was too small to install gApps. Nexus 7: Gave to family member who updated it, but it then died from slow flash hardware issue. Nexus 5: broken frame (leading to common hardware faults) - no point updating. Nexus 5X: Never used much - can't use as daily driver due to perceived risk of boot looping - so it is sitting in drawer at work. Moto G1: Gave away a long time ago Moto G3: Broken by teenager Moto G3: Gave to friend (still in use - but can't unlock G3 any more) Moto G4: Was a present to a friend (still in use by them, they not likely to update or want update) Edit: Some of the devices were bought cheaply (second hand) and more than one device was paid for by work as we always need recent Android devices to test App releases on.
- thaumasiotes 7y ago
  > Motorola continues to carry this torch with it's G-series, near-stock, sub-$300 phones. Except that they seem to have wholeheartedly jumped on the "I need a phone so big it won't fit in my hand" bandwagon. As far as I could tell last I checked, they don't sell anything in this size range.
linguae 7y ago
Same here. I ended up buying an iPhone SE two years ago to replace my Nexus 5 because I did not want to spend $650 for a Pixel phone. While unfortunately it would be difficult for me to switch back to Android since I have an Apple Watch that I love using, I am very happy that Google has decided to return to the Nexus-style price point. I loved my Nexus 5, including its stock Android and its two years of updates from Google.
- dmos62 7y ago
  > it would be difficult for me to switch back to Android since I have an Apple Watch that I love Vendor ecosystem lock-in triumphs again.
  - sethhochberg 7y ago
    I'll be honest though, for a long time I resisted the Apple ecosystem because I used linux heavily and was an early adopter of Android... but in the general non-running smartwatch world, the competition from Android Wear is bleak. Pebble stood a chance, but we all know how that ended up. It felt a little weird paying more for my Apple Watch than I did the iPhone SE it is paired with, but I've grown to really love them both. Sometimes the lockin enables cool stuff. They can pry my iPhone SE from my cold, dead hands though. I could suffer through buying a nice Bluetooth adapter for my custom IEMs if I had to, but I won't get a phone that can't physically fit into a pocket - and I own pants that can't fit an iPhone X sized device.
    - int_19h 7y ago
      I don't think it enables cool stuff. There's no reason why it has to be tied to be good. But if it is good, there's no reason for Apple not to tie them to squeeze the most out of it.
      - sethhochberg 7y ago
        Well, lets look at Bluetooth itself as an example - an open standard that tries to enable cool stuff, but which is widely loathed as unreliable and a mess to develop for because all of the vendors got involved and tried to add their own special use cases / protocol variations / etc... I'm not saying a closed ecosystem is somehow "right" by design, but Apple's proprietary augmentation of Bluetooth sure makes me forget that the watch is using it to talk to my phone or laptop. Maybe its less that closed ecosystems enable cool stuff and more that end-to-end control makes it easier to ensure your cool stuff works properly most of the time.
paulddraper 7y ago
Too bad they haven't gone back to the size of the Nexus 4/5 though :/

Which is funny, because the Nexus 5 had a more pixel dense screen and supported wireless charging at a lower price point.

nkozyra 7y ago

Motorola continues to carry this torch with it's G-series, near-stock, sub-$300 phones.

techntoke 7y ago
True, but my G5 Plus lags a lot at this point. It has always been noticeably slower than other higher-end phones. I am really tempted to get the new Pixel 3a.
- sct202 7y ago
  I'm replacing my G4 with a 3a. The new G7 is $300 so the extra $100 for a better camera and slightly faster seems pretty worth it.
  - novaRom 7y ago
    I would wait a little bit for more reviews, because it seems 3a has poor front speaker. Most of the phones have different problems with front speakers however (poor stereo balance). But I desperately need one with good stereo.
- creatornator 7y ago
  I've had the same issue with my G5 plus... Apps, multitasking, camera, keyboard etc. are all significantly laggier than they used to be
TwoNineA 7y ago
> Motorola continues to carry this torch with it's G-series, near-stock, sub-$300 phones. They also come with almost non existent Android upgrades.
- Twirrim 7y ago
  Really? My wife has been getting very regular security upgrades on hers, and I'd been pleasantly surprised. (I'm almost always the one to trigger off any upgrade on her phone when I notice she's got one queued up waiting to install)
  - hobofan 7y ago
    Meh. The latest available security patch for the Android 8.0.0 on my Moto Z Play which I purchased 2 years ago is the one of August 2018. Yes, I didn't purchase the phone directly at release date, but just a bit more than 1 year of security patches isn't great. It hurts even more because the hardware is incredibly sturdy and with the battery pack mod, charging woes have been a thing of the past. EDIT: Wow, apparently they are still advertising and selling this model for which they haven't released a security update in almost a year!
quasse 7y ago
My G4 Plus has been a tank. It survived a motorcycle trip through the Yukon mounted to the bars of my bike without any more protection from the elements than my windscreen. I unlocked the bootloader but then never installed a ROM because the stock one is close enough to vanilla Android to keep me happy.
- chocolatebunny 7y ago
  The audio on my G4 plus died last year. It sounded like a common problem with no clear resolution. Plus they haven't updated it to Android 8.0.
- auxym 7y ago
  GPS died on my G4 play after a year. Loved the phone otherwise.
e40 7y ago
The Moto x4 (no longer available, but it was until recently) is really nice. I hope there's an x5, in the future.
- Dylan16807 7y ago
  As long as you don't want to root it. Nothing but trouble there.
  - e40 7y ago
    I want to use Google Pay, so rooting isn't an option for me. And, I don't want to spend all the time that a rooted device requires (when updates are available).
    - Dylan16807 7y ago
      You can pretty well solve both of those with systemless root... if it works. It just crashed horribly for me.
robocat 7y ago
I would also consider Nokia (HMD global). > near-stock I have now got a Nokia 7+ which has "Android One" (very close to AOSP) and it has been a great piece of hardware which gets updates. I think HMD Global dealt brilliantly with the security issue that affected some phones. I agree about Moto though, in the past I have bought four Moto phones (G1, G3, G3, G4 - two were presents) and I had zero hardware faults (although they all stopped getting updates far earlier than I like). A G3 and G4 are still in daily use. One G3 broke a screen (teenager), and I can't remember who I gave the G1 to when I upgraded. Multiple previous experiences with Nexus line have left me disappointed, and so far the Pixel's have been too expensive for me to want to learn the same mistakes again. Hopefully the 3a will be better!
- WhatIsDukkha 7y ago
  Nokias are bootlocked(nonstarter for me) and I'm not clear how reliable they are going to be on updates either.
  - tssva 7y ago
    The Nokia phones are part of the Android One program which means the are guaranteed software updates for two years and monthly security updates for three years which is the same as the Pixel phones.
  - robocat 7y ago
    Now older Motorola phones (e.g. G3) can no longer be unlocked: https://support.motorola.com/us/en/solution/MS87215 https://support.motorola.com/us/en/solution/MS87215 I also used to use your rule: if it was bootlocked then I wouldn't buy it. However that rule has never helped me use CyanogenMod/LineageOS etc because: Galaxy Nexus: Screen burn in (OLED blue) and obsoleted OMAP processor so didn't update, then gave to friend's kid. Nexus 10: Kept at factory 5.1.1 for testing at work. Then tried updating this year but flash partition was too small to install gApps. Nexus 7: Gave to family member who updated it, but it then died from slow flash hardware issue. Nexus 5: broken frame (leading to common hardware faults) - no point updating. Nexus 5X: Never used much - can't use as daily driver due to perceived risk of boot looping - so it is sitting in drawer at work. Moto G1: Gave away a long time ago Moto G3: Broken by teenager Moto G3: Gave to friend (still in use - but can't unlock G3 any more) Moto G4: Was a present to a friend (still in use by them, they not likely to update or want update) Edit: Some of the devices were bought cheaply (second hand) and more than one device was paid for by work as we always need recent Android devices to test App releases on.
thaumasiotes 7y ago
> Motorola continues to carry this torch with it's G-series, near-stock, sub-$300 phones. Except that they seem to have wholeheartedly jumped on the "I need a phone so big it won't fit in my hand" bandwagon. As far as I could tell last I checked, they don't sell anything in this size range.

linguae 7y ago

Same here. I ended up buying an iPhone SE two years ago to replace my Nexus 5 because I did not want to spend $650 for a Pixel phone. While unfortunately it would be difficult for me to switch back to Android since I have an Apple Watch that I love using, I am very happy that Google has decided to return to the Nexus-style price point. I loved my Nexus 5, including its stock Android and its two years of updates from Google.

dmos62 7y ago
> it would be difficult for me to switch back to Android since I have an Apple Watch that I love Vendor ecosystem lock-in triumphs again.
- sethhochberg 7y ago
  I'll be honest though, for a long time I resisted the Apple ecosystem because I used linux heavily and was an early adopter of Android... but in the general non-running smartwatch world, the competition from Android Wear is bleak. Pebble stood a chance, but we all know how that ended up. It felt a little weird paying more for my Apple Watch than I did the iPhone SE it is paired with, but I've grown to really love them both. Sometimes the lockin enables cool stuff. They can pry my iPhone SE from my cold, dead hands though. I could suffer through buying a nice Bluetooth adapter for my custom IEMs if I had to, but I won't get a phone that can't physically fit into a pocket - and I own pants that can't fit an iPhone X sized device.
  - int_19h 7y ago
    I don't think it enables cool stuff. There's no reason why it has to be tied to be good. But if it is good, there's no reason for Apple not to tie them to squeeze the most out of it.
    - sethhochberg 7y ago
      Well, lets look at Bluetooth itself as an example - an open standard that tries to enable cool stuff, but which is widely loathed as unreliable and a mess to develop for because all of the vendors got involved and tried to add their own special use cases / protocol variations / etc... I'm not saying a closed ecosystem is somehow "right" by design, but Apple's proprietary augmentation of Bluetooth sure makes me forget that the watch is using it to talk to my phone or laptop. Maybe its less that closed ecosystems enable cool stuff and more that end-to-end control makes it easier to ensure your cool stuff works properly most of the time.

paulddraper 7y ago

Too bad they haven't gone back to the size of the Nexus 4/5 though :/